House Panel Votes to Shield Journalists, Bloggers

A congressional panel on Wednesday voted, against the Bush administration’s wishes, to shield journalists including advertising-supported bloggers from having to reveal their confidential sources in many situations…

In response to concerns raised by the Bush administration and other politicians, the revised bill attempts to exclude the “casual blogger” from reaping those benefits by stipulating the protections apply only to those who derive “financial gain or livelihood” from the journalistic activity, [Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.)] said Wednesday. That broad rule could, however, include part-time writers who receive even a trickle of revenue from Google Ads or Blogads.com.

(Emphasis added)

Oh yes, by all means let’s let the Bush Junta — the most secretive and immoral bunch of fascists to ever occupy the Oval Office — limit who this law would shield.

Of course, the law’s definition of journalist raises a few questions: Where is the line between a “casual blogger” and a “journalist” drawn? Is it drawn based on the amount of time spent writing, the amount of money made from writing, the number of readers the writer gets? Who determines what amount is the cut-off between “blogger” and “journalist?”

In any case, I think I’m going to check into Google Ads on the off-chance that some day some source drops a too-hot-not-to-print hot potato in my lap and I find myself being prosecuted by a government agency or sued by a corporation.